How To Turn Old Habits Into A More Eco Friendly Lifestyle

You wake up, feeling a little giddy, dancing softly to the brisk morning movements of this glorious Thursday morning. What makes this Thursday so particularly glorious you ask? It’s pay day. Finally your fortnightly finishing line filled with miso soup, mi goreng and skimming on public transport costs is coming to an end. Let’s face it, to rent in an Aussie city on entry level rates or whilst studying is a financial challenge. Naturally, this has led to a subconscious rise to eco friendly decision making in our day-to-day lifestyles.

Ethically conscious seems like a buzz phrase which has gotten lost in the over-saturated market of green washing. But I’m going to argue that many of us are subconsciously making more ethical choices both for the environment and animal welfare due to financial, lifestyle and religious reasons. So don’t sell yourself short. So if you want to see those savings and make an ethical impact along the way, here are some simple ways to make the switch.

What you eat and don’t eat has a massive impact on your carbon footprint. To reduce your environmental impact, you should do smaller shops based on grocery lists. According to the Australian Department of the Environment and Energy, 3.1 million tonnes of edible food is wasted a year. So let’s ditch the ditching of edible food (and not to mention your dollars) and meal plan. Maybe even try meal packs like Ooooby, they’re super efficient and legit will reduce your food waste by ten fold. Plus they are all about sourcing organic local produce.

#2 Eat Less Red Meat

There has been an increase in near or total vegetarianism across Australia, but almost 9.9 million Aussie adults (53.4%) agree that they’re eating less red meat. The motivations for this change weren’t recorded; however, eating less red meat for your health has a ripple effect on your personal carbon footprint. Our lives are riddled with subconscious choices which can both benefit or belittle our eco friendly impact as consumers. So, why not try cutting down your red meat in take from four times to twice a week. Plus, red meat is super exxy anyways, so reap the financials benefits too.

On average, a plastic bag can take between 400-1000 years to break down. However, paper bags only really shift the environmental impact from decreasing litter to increasing resource use and greenhouse gas emissions. Why not ditch both and embrace the good ol reuable bag? Not only are they more eco friendly, but easier to carry back to the kitchen or the car. Eko Buddy not only promote a great looking and feeling reusable bag, but they’re actually made from recycled plastic.

#4 Plan A Greener Commute To Work

I, like many, have been burned by the transition from student to adult Opal card price. So hey, why not turn your commute into your daily exercise regime? All you need is a good podcast and some walking shoes and not only will you save some dosh, but your CO2 footprint will thank you as well. However, I know that it is a privilege to be able to walk to work. For those of you further away, why not arrange car-pooling? Or cut down to one mode of transport and try and to walk the remaining distance.

These are all really simple, daily practices you can adopt, or may already be doing (but can now do it with purpose), in your now eco friendly day-to-day lives.

Lauren is a cheeky side line singer with a penchant for existential pondering and attempting linguistic wit. Consistently seeks out high-waisted clothing, strives (and fails) to meet healthy eating standards: currently globe-hoppin.